My Sister's Killer

There is a body in the middle of the stage. A girl enters. She does not see the body.

SARA

Ally? Ally? Where are you? [To herself] If that stupid slut left me here I will be so pissed. Ally? ALLY! When I find you I’m going to kill you! [She sees the body] Ally? Oh my god. [Runs over to the body] Oh, Ally. [Yelling] Help! Help! [Takes out her cell phone] Crap! No signal. Help! Oh God, they’re going to think I did it! I need to get out of here. [She starts to leave then turns back to the body] I am so sorry Ally. [She starts to leave again as a guy enters]

DAN

Sara?

SARA

Dan! I didn’t do it I swear!

DAN

What?

SARA

Oh my God, Dan. It’s Ally. I swear to you I didn’t do it.

DAN

I know.

SARA

What?

DAN

I found her a little while ago. I just called for help.

SARA

Oh. Well, I tried. I didn’t have a signal.

DAN

I had to walk off for awhile to find one.

SARA

So is help coming?

DAN

Yep.

SARA

What do we do now?

DAN

We should probably wait for them to get here.

SARA

You mean...by her?

DAN

Well, yeah. Otherwise they won’t know where her body is.

SARA

Oh. I guess that makes sense.

[They both sit]

SARA

I’m so sorry Dan. I know what she meant to you.

DAN

She was your twin, Sara. I should be comforting you, not the other way around.

SARA

But you loved her. Hell, she may have even loved you...in her own way.

DAN

She didn’t.

SARA

...The last thing I said to her was that I hated her.

DAN

What did she do this time?

SARA

[She debates whether or not to tell him] I’m sorry Dan. She was kissing Jake. DAN

Wow. My best friend, your boyfriend. Figures...What were you doing all the way out here anyway?

SARA

We were on our way home from Jake’s party. All of the sudden she gets a text then said she had to do something. She did a U-turn in the middle of the road and headed for the creek. So actually, I guess the last thing I said was “What the hell is wrong with you." Oh, and then I called her a stupid whore when she was getting out of the car. She knows I hate this place at night. I waited in the car for her to come back for, I don’t know, twenty minutes? Then I started looking for her. And then I found her.

DAN

She never said what she had to do?

SARA

No. I can't believe this. We were all going to graduate in a few months. She had her whole life ahead of her. Wait...what were you doing out here?

DAN

I went for a walk.

SARA

Weren’t you at Jake’s party?

DAN

Yup. It got kinda boring. I guess he wasn’t bored though.

SARA

Nope. Not bored at all.

DAN

Sorry.

SARA

Me too...So what do you think happened to her?

DAN

Well I would imagine that whoever asked her to come here was the one that killed her.

SARA

You don’t think that it was random? I mean, like, she could have been trying to find whoever it was, and then someone may have tried to rob her or something. Maybe whoever told her to come here is still waiting for her. Maybe they’ll start looking for her. Maybe they’re going to come through those trees any second now and see us just having a normal conversation beside her dead body! They’re going to think we did it!

DAN

There's nothing normal about this conversation. Besides--they did it. That means they are long gone. I know I wouldn’t stick around here if I had done it.

SARA

Why are you so sure they did it? Oh my god, Dan! They could come after us next!

DAN

No, we’re safe.

SARA

What makes you so sure?

DAN

Because they left to get a head start on running away from the police.

SARA

How do you know that? Wait, while you were walking, did you see something?

DAN

I saw a rabbit, an owl, a snake, a squirrel, a dead bird, a raccoon, and a diaper. But not the kind of something you mean.

SARA

Oh. Hey, maybe we should wait in the parking lot for help to come.

DAN

Why would a creek even have a parking lot?

SARA

I guess for all the bike trails that go through here. Did they say what kind of help was coming?

DAN

No.

SARA

I really think we should wait in the parking lot.

DAN

We’ll stay here until we hear the sirens. Then we’ll go.

SARA

But it took me forever to find her. If we leave when we hear the sirens then we won’t get there in time to lead them to her.

DAN

We’re staying here. Someone needs to guard her body.

SARA

No one comes out here this late.

DAN

Three people did.

SARA

And the killer.

DAN

Yeah that’s what I meant. If there was a killer out here, who knows what other kinds of nutcases are lurking around. I don’t want to lose sight of her for a single second.

SARA

She really did a number on you, huh?

DAN

What are you talking about?

SARA

I’m just saying, she really messed you up. You guys were only together a few months but she cheated on you, what? 5 times?

DAN

Six.

SARA

See what I mean?

DAN

Don’t you feel even a little bad about saying this stuff when her dead body is less than 10 feet away from you?

SARA

What’s that supposed to mean?

DAN

It means your dead sister is right beside you, and you don’t even care. Wait, sorry, you do care, but only because you think you’ll be blamed. What kind of sick person are you?

SARA

I’m the consistent kind. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I was her best friend just because she’s dead and I feel guilty.

DAN

But you were her best friend.

SARA

We hated each other.

DAN

I’m just telling you what she told me.

SARA:

She lied.

DAN

Do you honestly think she had anyone besides you? We both know she was hard to get along with.

SARA

She’s impossible.

DAN

She was impossible.

SARA

Why do you keep saying that?

DAN

What?

SARA

Was.

DAN

Because she’s gone. Everything she may have been is in the past now.

SARA

And you accuse ME of not caring?

DAN

Care? Of course I care! Trust me, you have no idea how much I care!

SARA

Wait, you were walking?

DAN: What?

SARA

You said you were going for a walk.

DAN

When?

SARA

When you found her.

DAN

Oh. Yeah. So?

SARA

So why would you go for a walk way out here in the middle of nowhere?

DAN

I wanted to be alone.

SARA

Why?

DAN

Just because.

[They are both silent for a bit]

SARA

Our alibis suck.

DAN

Oh, will you shut up already?

SARA

Do you have any idea what this will do to my mom? Thinking her daughter is a murderer!

DAN

You don’t seem too worried about what she would think about having a dead daughter.

SARA

Mom hated Ally. She blamed her for dad leaving. She said no guy could handle Ally for long periods of time and that dad was no different.

DAN

She said that?

SARA

Yeah. Ever since then they haven’t been able to stand each other.

DAN

That’s crazy. I can't believe she said that.

SARA

It’s true.

DAN

But crazy.

SARA

Maybe I should call mom.

DAN

They will.

SARA

Who will?

DAN

The help.

SARA

We don’t even know who the help is.

DAN

We’ll find out soon though.

SARA

What did you say to them when you called?

DAN

I told them what happened.

SARA

But we don’t know what happened.

[DAN shrugs.]

SARA

What did you say?

DAN

I told you.

SARA

No, you didn’t.

DAN

I don’t remember, ok? I was freaking out.

SARA

How long have we been waiting here?

DAN

I don’t know.

[Pause]

SARA

When will they be here?

DAN

Will you shut up about the help? It’s not like anyone will be able to “help” her. She’s dead.

SARA

How do you know? Did you check her pulse?

DAN

She’s dead.

SARA

You don’t know that!

[She starts to stand up to go check for a pulse. DAN pulls her back down.]

DAN

Don’t get your finger prints on her. SARA

Are yours on her?

DAN

Yes.

SARA

Maybe we should leave.

DAN

We need to stay. We owe it to her. We knew her best. We can't abandon her.

SARA

It’s not like she’ll know.

DAN

She was your sister.

SARA

You’ve mentioned that.

DAN

We need to stay with her. We’re the only ones that will care. We know how messed up she was. I mean, her own mom hated her. I knew all that and I still–-

[pause]

SARA

Still what? What did you do?

DAN

She kept cheating on me.

SARA

What did you do?

DAN

She wouldn’t stop.

SARA

Dan! What did you do?

DAN

I made her stop.

SARA

[scoots away] you didn’t call for help did you?

DAN

They’ll find me.

SARA

Why are you still here?

DAN

I’m watching her. I’m making sure nothing happens to her.

SARA

You mean other than dying?

DAN

Those disgusting animals could come eat her.

SARA

Yeah. The squirrel could chew her fingers. That would definitely hurt her.

DAN

Stop.

SARA

You killed my sister.

DAN

I didn’t mean to. You don’t even care.

SARA

I care!

DAN

Not enough!

SARA

What do you mean?

DAN

You waited twenty minutes before you went looking for her.

SARA

This is not my fault!

DAN

You could have found us and stopped me.

SARA

Or you could have stopped you.

DAN

Aren’t you scared Sara? Don’t you think that I’m going to kill you too, now that you know?

SARA

No.

DAN

Why are you still here? What do you want from me?

SARA

I don’t know.

DAN

I can't believe I killed her.

SARA

Me neither.

DAN

Do you think she’ll forgive me?

SARA

No. She holds grudges.

DAN

You’re joking around with a murderer.

SARA

I’m just happy they won’t think I did it.

DAN

Why aren’t you scared of me?

SARA

Because you feel bad. Because you want to get caught. If you wanted to get away with it then you would have run off a long time ago. ...Because...I love you.

DAN

No, you don’t.

SARA

Trust me, I do.

DAN

Well, you shouldn’t.

SARA

Why?

DAN

Because you have Jake.

SARA

No, I don’t, she had him, and you know it. What’s the real reason? Why shouldn’t I love you?

DAN

Because I could have called for help. I could have saved her. There was still time, I could have fixed what I did... but I didn’t. I let her die. You deserve better than a murderer.

SARA

I didn’t know you cared.

DAN

Anyone deserves better than a murderer.

SARA

Nothing could have saved her.

DAN

You don’t know that.

SARA

Sure I do. If you could have helped her then you would have.

DAN

I killed her, didn’t I? How concerned do you think I was for her welfare?

SARA

Dan, I love you and I know you. If you could take it back, I know you would.

DAN

Will you stop saying that?

SARA

What? That I love you?

DAN

Stop!

SARA

Fine. So what are you going to do now?

DAN

I don’t want to leave her.

SARA

I know.

DAN

What will they do to me?

SARA

I don’t know.

DAN

You aren’t helping! ...Wait...you love me?

SARA

...yeah?

DAN

You know I don’t believe you, right?

SARA

Yeah, I’ve figured that out.

DAN

Sara...I can't let them catch me. Who knows what they would do to me.

SARA

I know. You should run. I could help you hide the body. We could run together.

DAN

Sara, that won’t work. Someone needs to take the fall. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life on the run. Do you?

SARA

No, I guess not but who else could take the fall for this?

DAN

I have so many plans for my life...sacrifices are romantic, don’t you think?

SARA

Wait...what?

DAN

Sara, if you took the blame for this I would believe you. I would believe that you love me. I would be able to let myself love you back. They would let you out of jail after a few years. Then we could be together. I just can't believe you without proof.

SARA

Do you understand what you are asking me to do?

DAN

If you really loved me then it wouldn’t be a problem.

SARA

I do love you!

DAN

Then do this for me, Sara! They would believe you! People saw you leaving Jake’s party together. They knew how mad you were at her and they knew you already hated her. No one can say they saw you when she was killed because you were way out here. It’s perfect.

SARA

I don’t know, Dan...

DAN

Look, I want to be with you. Really, I do. I just can't if you don’t do this for me. I promise I will visit you every chance I get. If things work out we might even get married when they let you out.

SARA

If I do this...you’ll love me? Like you loved her?

DAN

I would love you so much more than I ever loved her.

SARA

And we would get married when they let me out?

DAN

I promise.

SARA

What if they don’t let me out?

DAN

They will. I can guarantee it.

SARA

This will prove that I love you?

DAN

Yes.

SARA

If you promise...Then I guess I need to do this.

DAN

That’s my girl. Do you want me to give you a ride to the police station?

SARA

That would be nice, I guess.

DAN

Let’s go.

SARA

What about the body?

DAN

Leave it.

[They both leave]

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